Amor Vincit Omnia
by samurai-ashes
Summary: In a world where Seto & Mokuba were never adopted, how far would an eighteen-year-old Seto be willing to go for his brother? Who would he turn to in order to accomplish his goals? [complete]
1. Prologue

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Story Notes**  
_Amor Vincit Omnia_ is Latin for 'Love Conquers All'. Cheesy-when-translated, but I enjoyed it. 

The story is about 90% Seto's POV, mostly because that's what I wrote before I realized that there were a couple of people who wanted something to say too – mainly Mokuba, who WOULD NOT cooperate in third person. Pairing wise… Well, Seto didn't want to hook up with anyone, really, and there were way too many people who looked like they were hitting on him (especially Malik and Yami, and sometimes Ryou…), but in the end, we just left it all open ended. 

I worry about characterization in this one a lot, especially Malik and Bakura.

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**Prologue**

_(Seto)_  
Every eighteen-year-old comes of age with a couple dreams, and I was no exception to the rule – I'd had big plans from the moment I turned eighteen. 

By the time I was nineteen, I'd achieved every single one. I had a good job: a minor position in a big technology company. It wasn't the greatest job ever, and my boss was a complete fruit, but he was nice enough, and I would work my way up with time. 

I wasn't dead. 

I had a home – it wasn't big or fancy, but it was enough. 

And most of all, I had two treasures: one was out with his friends, and the other I was fiddling with on my bed. It was a wooden puzzle box; it took me at least three minutes of little tricks in order to open it… and I loved every second. Inside I kept a trove of things – pictures of me and my brother, airplane ticket stubs, a couple letters… but my favorite, the one I constantly looked at, was a small note, beginning to tear along its creases and smudged where the pencil marks were wearing away. The message was simple, but it made me smile every time I looked at it. 

It reminded me of everything I ran away from. 

**- end prologue -**


	2. Chapter One: One Year Previous

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter One  
(A Year Previous)**

_(Seto)_  
"Kentaro-san," I breathed exasperatedly, leaning against my desk and raising one hand to rub my temple. I could already feel a headache coming on, and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to get up and leave. If I didn't need the work, I would've left within the first week. "You can't throw an office party and write off 'hookers & booze' as a business expense." I didn't know how the man was keeping his meager little garage afloat; I had been working there a little less than two months, and just glancing at some of the records made me want to weep. 

Not so coincidentally, I'd only been eighteen for two months as well. On my birthday I'd been given directions to my 'new home' as the orphanage had so eloquently put it, and the address of where I'd be working. They told me to have a good time, pay my bills, and prove myself a decent citizen. Despite the months I'd spent trying to convince them to let me take Mokuba with me, I was sent off alone. 

Well, I wasn't going to stand for that. 

My plans had been in the making since the first night I spent alone, and I had an appropriate contact within the orphanage – I just needed an opportunity to get us the hell away from Domino. Once I did, I'd never look back. I was going to kidnap him the first chance I got. 

However, for the time being, I had to be good and do my job, and that involved paying attention to Kentaro. The man was laughing merrily, scratching his head. "Ah, boy, you have no mind for fun, do you?" 

"You can have fun when you can afford it," I retorted. "You're going to need to be a little more frugal if you expect to keep this place." 

"You're too serious for a kid your age!" Kentaro teased, patting me roughly on the back; I lurched slightly, making sure not to show it. Kentaro was a big guy, and gentle of heart as he might have been, he was a rough. "You should learn to have a good time." 

"You have to work to play." I didn't add that I needed the income to get out of Domino. If Kentaro went under, I'd have to find another job, and I didn't want to delay my plans any more than necessary. It was in my best interest to pour myself into work and hope for the best. 

"Seto," Kentaro said seriously, wide grin spreading across his unshaven face, "I know you have a soft spot, and I'm going to find it someday." 

"Good luck," I replied blandly, looking down at the papers on Kentaro's desk. "Hookers and booze," I murmured to myself, covering my eyes with my hand. I was never going to understand Kentaro, no matter how much time we spent together. If I was lucky, it wouldn't be long. 

"Niisama!" 

Before I could look up, I had two arms wrapped firmly around my waist, and I looked down into a mess of unruly dark hair. I tried to blink away confusion, but to no avail; I was still lost. Immediately I wound my arms around Mokuba, hugging him tightly. I glanced up to see the nurse from the orphanage – my contact – standing in the doorway, smiling fondly at our scene. 

If I thought I could have pulled it off, I would have left right then. 

He pulled away from me and blushed, tucking a strand of unruly hair behind his ear. "Hi. This looks so cool!" he said, going to look out the door. "You get to work on cars all day?" 

"Not him; he's unofficially taken over the office work around here," Kentaro interjected. He held out a hand, and Mokuba shook it warily, eyeing Kentaro with curiosity. "So who are you?" 

"I'm Seto's brother – who are you?" 

"Ah, it's nice to meet you, little brother; I'm Kentaro. Supposedly, your brother here works for me, but he's always the one cracking the whip, so I'm not so sure. Would you like to take a look around? I could give you one helluva tour." 

Mokuba looked pleadingly to me, and I nodded. I couldn't tell him no; there was no harm in him looking around, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to. Mokuba grinned at Kentaro and nodded. Within moments, I was alone with the nurse. 

"I owe you one, Miyuki-san," I said politely. She had always been kind to Mokuba and I, but even I knew that this was an extreme. I'd never asked why she took pity on us, why she'd risk her job, but I didn't complain. After a while, we'd come up with a mutually unspoken policy of not asking too many questions. 

"You owe me several," she replied, a soft smile still decorating her face. "I didn't plan this, if that's what you're wondering; he had a doctor's appointment. You just happened to be right along our route back." 

"Is he sick?" 

She shook her head. "Not that kind of doctor." She hesitated before continuing, "He's been having nightmares. He won't talk to the doctor about what's brothering him, and he won't tell me, but he's been so edgy lately. Seto, I know you love him, but maybe this plan of yours is getting to him. Maybe its better for his health if – " 

"I'll talk to him," I interrupted. I wouldn't let her say it; if I'd come so far, if I'd gotten my hopes up so high, I wasn't about to let them fall. "I'll fix it." 

"Seto – " 

"Don't. You're not going to be able to convince me it'll be better to wait until they let me take him – it's too long. You can't expect me to agree to that." I left the office; I wasn't going to get into a fight with her, I wouldn't risk it – she was too important to risk as an enemy. Mokuba was fawning over a motorbike with one of my coworkers – my only coworker, really: a foreign boy with dark skin and light hair who could swear in at least three different languages. I couldn't remember his name… Assuming I had even bothered to learn it in the first place. "Having fun?" I asked, affectionately ruffling Mokuba's hair. He laughed and ducked out of my touch, smoothing his hair back. 

"Yeah! Don't you always want to be here? I'd love it!" 

There was something about seeing Mokuba so enthused – or maybe it was just seeing Mokuba at all – that made me feel like there wasn't a problem in the world. I could hardly see how Miyuki thought he was nervous; he looked just as happy as ever. 

Then again, I was the one who taught him that hiding emotions was a survival tactic. 

"We could trade you in," the coworker said, his voice infiltrating my thoughts. "We'll keep you and get rid of Seto – all he does it bitch, bitch, bitch about money." 

Mokuba frowned. "Then you should listen to him," he chided. "Niisama is a genius; he can fix anything. I bet – " 

"That's enough, Mokuba," I interrupted. "Come on, I want to talk to you alone." 

Mokuba gulped and bit his lower lip nervously, but followed me obediently to Kentaro's office; Miyuki nodded as we entered and left us alone, closing the door behind her. I knelt down to look Mokuba in the eye. 

"Are you okay?" I asked seriously. 

"Uh… Yeah, I'm fine." Mokuba sounded too cheery, and he was nodding too eagerly. 

"Oh? Is that why Miyuki-san had to take you to see a doctor?" 

Mokuba looked down at his feet. "I asked her not to tell you," he grumbled. "Really, it's nothing. The only bad thing is that they want to put me on some sort of medication to calm me down. I got lucky, though; the orphanage says I don't need medication for 'growing pains' and won't cover the cost." He flashed me a crooked grin and a thumbs up, but I wasn't buying it. 

"What are your nightmares about?" I demanded, one hand landing on Mokuba's shoulder, squeezing it gently. 

"Um… you. I'm scared, Seto," he said, looking down at the ground. "I don't want you to get in trouble. If we make it out of here, then what? What if there's nowhere for us after all? Maybe we'll never find somewhere to be happy…" 

"Shh," I soothed, touching his cheek. Hadn't I tried my best to assure him that nothing would go wrong? After all, I had spent enough of my time trying to quell my same fears – I should've been an expert. "Don't think like that, alright? We're getting away from here." He looked up at me, and I caught the hope in his eyes. "I promise by this time next year we'll be somewhere better. I'll have a job, you'll go to a normal school, and we'll never have to depend on anyone else ever again, okay?" 

Mokuba nodded. "I'm sorry – I'm too old to be acting like such a baby." 

"It's fine. I won't tell anyone." 

Mokuba wasn't very receptive to the subtle joking. "I'm just really worried," he repeated quietly. 

I flashed Mokuba my best smile, something I reserved just for him. "You said it yourself: I'm a genius. I can do anything. So no more panicking, okay? I want you to sleep tonight." Mokuba returned the smile, and I felt the coil of fear in my stomach unwind. 

"Okay." 

There was a knock on the door, and Miyuki peeked in. "I hate to cut this short, but we really should get going." 

I nodded and turned back to Mokuba. "Take care, kid." 

"I will. You too." Reluctantly Mokuba retreated, and Miyuki looked at me with solemn eyes. I hated when she looked at me like that; it meant she had bad news. I remember whenever there was something wrong at the orphanage – if someone was sick, or worse – then she had the same look. 

"Be careful," she warned. 

"Always," I replied cockily, waving her away. The last thing I needed was her waiting around too long; people would get suspicious. She looked like she had more to say, but only nodded and left, Mokuba following at her heels. Once the door closed behind them, I sighed and let my shoulders sag. 

It was complicated. Truth be told, I wasn't feeling much better about it than Mokuba; much as I promised him that things would change, I had so many things to worry about: how to get Mokuba away from the orphanage, having the money to get him out of the country, where to go, what to do when we got there… 

Well, if my biggest problem was money, then I needed to stop pitying myself and get back to work – and at that moment, work included arguing with Kentaro about business expenses. Unfortunately, when I got out into the garage area, the only person there was my coworker. "Where's Kentaro-san?" 

The boy shrugged, looking under the hood of a car that came in that morning. "Fuck if I know; takin' a piss maybe. By the way, cute kid you've got there." 

I tapped my toe impatiently, hoping Kentaro would make it back from wherever he was soon; I was never quite sure what to say to the other man. 

"So who's the dame? Your mother?" 

I cringed and clenched my fists. I don't know why it bothered me so much, but hearing him ask that… "She works at the orphanage where Mokuba is staying." 

"Oh. Well, that's a twist." The car made some loud noise, and he swore in another language. "So," he said after a second, "you wanna go out for a drink tonight?" 

"Excuse me?" 

The boy shrugged. "You know, alcohol? Kentaro suggested that you need to unwind, and that's the best damn unwinder that I know." 

"I don't even know your name." 

"Malik. C'mon, we don't even really have to go out; we could crash at my place, tip a few back, and call it a night." 

"You've got to be out of your mind." 

He shook his head and came up from under the hood of the car, looking at me. "No, but look, we work together, right? Believe it or not, I give a damn about this place just as much as you do; the old man has saved my ass more times than I care to count." 

"What does this have to do with me or your drinking plans?" I retorted. 

"Well, you want to keep this place alive for some reason, and so do I. Doesn't it make sense to become allies? We could get to know each other." He shrugged and went back to working on the car, and I scowled – there was something about him that was disarming… Conniving… I didn't like it, but I had to admit that he was clever, and he had said one word that triggered in my head. 

Allies. 

I may have considering myself stressed and busy, but the invitation was tempting, if only for that reason – alliances were one thing I sorely lacked. I hadn't done much drinking before, and that set little warning bells off in my head. Still… What did I have to loose? Besides, the guy could be of use, especially if he was foreign; maybe he could suggest somewhere for us to go, would have some contacts out of the country… "Fine," I relented. "After work?" 

"Hell yeah," Malik whooped. "My usual drinking buddy has a boyfriend now, so this'll be the first time I've gotten drunk in a while. Here…" He dug into his back pocket, taking out a scrap of paper. "Hand me that pen," he commanded, snapping towards a small workbench. I scowled and did as he asked; he scribbled something on the paper. After a second, he tossed the pencil back in the general direction of the bench and handed the scrap to me. "There. My humble abode." 

I could barely make out the scrawl, but once I did, I arched a brow. "I live across the street from you," I said slowly. How was it I had never seen him before? Then again, I usually made it to work a good hour before him; that probably had something to do with it. 

"Huh? No shit, really?" Malik grinned. "Then I bet you're that new tenant – I know your landlords. Look, if you see Bakura, tell him I got lonely without him and have moved on." 

My eyebrow felt like it hitched another inch up, and Malik cleared his throat. 

"Or not. Anyway, yeah, after work." 

--

The warning bells in my head had meant something after all. If I had known that after a couple of drinks, my inner monologue would become dialogue, I would have gone straight home after work. Within two hours, Malik and I were trading horrible childhood stories, just trying to see who had the worst. I wasn't sure who was winning. 

"I gotta toast for you," Malik said dramatically, holding up his bottle. I mimicked the action, grinning stupidly; I could feel it on my face and cheeks... "Life's a bitch, and then you die!" 

I joined Malik's laughter, knocking back a gulp of my drink. "Perfect. Absolutely fuckin' perfect. You and me," I gestured between us disjointedly, "I bet we'd get each other if we met somewhere else – life dealt you a shitty hand too." 

Malik nodded eagerly. "I got scars on my scars." 

We both laughed again at the humorless statement. "Well, I'm takin' control of my life." I waved my hand in the air. "I'm gonna run away." 

"Ooh, I ran away once; best thing I ever did. It got me here." 

"Fuck this place," I retorted. "You can HAVE it! I'm leavin' as soon as possible." 

"What about the kid? Looked like you loved him." 

"I do; as soon as I have the money, I'm takin' him and we're leavin' the country." 

"That's illegal!" Malik giggled. The noise was decidedly odd; it was a little high-pitched… He must have been really drunk… or maybe he was just a fruit. 

"Oh well." I shrugged. "It'll be worth it." 

Malik snorted and pointed at me dramatically. "Yeah, but you're gonna get caught. I had a hard enough time, and I was by myself, and no one was even lookin' for me! You're gonna kidnap a kid, try to leave the country, WHILE they'll be keeping an eye out for him? You're obviously askin' to die." 

"Hey, hey, fuck you!" I shouted, scowling. "What the hell would you know?" 

"A lot – think you're the only kid who wanted to run away from home? What kind of asshole denies honest help anyway – sheesh! How ungrateful." He took another swig of his drink and glared at me… Or he tried; it lasted about two seconds before he started chuckling to himself. "I mean, jesus, you could be a little grateful." 

I frowned. "Well, it didn't sound like help to me – sounded like baseless criticism." 

"Well, it was help, but if you don't want it, then I'm not gonna bother." 

I frowned and stretched my legs out onto the coffee table, propping the bottle between my outstretched legs. Maybe he was trying to help… Even I could set aside my pride, if it would help me get Mokuba with less trouble. "Maybe I want it," I said derisively. "IF it's any good." 

"Well…" Malik dragged out the word, assumedly thinking. I couldn't be sure. "It WOULD be good." He took a deep swig from his bottle. "Yeah, I could round you up a whole posse." 

"That's your advice?" I asked incredulously. "To hell with your advice, then; I don't want a posse – you can't trust too many people with a secret." 

"You're gonna have to, if you want to succeed," Malik argued. "It's, like, business or something – have allies. Look, you love business, right? You practically get off on it at work, and you never stop givin' the old man a hard time." 

"Sure, I guess I like business." Allies. Right, I had JUST been thinking that earlier, when I had agreed to the stupid drinking date. How could I have forgotten so soon? "What's your point?" 

"Well… Fuck, I'm not sure, I just know that it just ain't happenin' alone, okay? I got a lot of friends… Okay, I know Bakura, and Bakura knows Ryou, and Ryou has a lot of friends, and at least a handful of 'em know how to break the law. I bet they'd love to help." 

"That's reassuring. I'm not lookin' to make my brother some criminal's pleasure trip," I grumbled. 

"They're not THAT sick. Jeez, I never met anyone so… Ugh! Shut up and listen to me: us runaways gotta stick together, that's all." Malik gave me a big smile and turned back to his drink. It all almost seemed friendly. "We'll hook you up, alright? You could never find someone better suited to round you up some delinquents." 

"But I'm tellin' you, I don't want people. I said I only wanted your advice if it was good," I argued heatedly, my drink forgotten. 

"This IS good. You might be some bastard who hates people, but you're going to need 'em. You wanna succeed, right?" 

"Yes." 

"Then you'll have to sacrifice a little comfort for this. How about I introduce you to Bakura tomorrow, and we'll discuss it with him. If you don't feel right about it, we'll forget I even said anything, and I'll let you go about this on your own. Deal?" 

He was doing it again – that smooth talking, that… damn, that thing he did at work. He stuck his hand out, like he wanted me to shake it, and I stared at the appendage. Was he right? Well, if I agreed, I'd have time to sleep on it – and if need be, I could decline tomorrow. Really, I couldn't lose. I took his hand – well, I caught it after three tries, at least. 

"Deal." 

**-end chapter one-**

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**notes**  
Many thanks to purkle dragon for the beta job. bow 'Tis muchly appreciated. 

Yeah, see, Malik. blinkblink Hopefully he'll be a little better when he's not drunk. Heh. 


	3. Chapter Two

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

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**Chapter Two**

_(Seto)_  
I glared at Bakura; the pale man glared back, not all intimidated by my gaze. 

Damn it. 

We were sitting in my landlord's living room. I was on a couch beside Malik, and Bakura was on the loveseat across from us. As far as I knew, there was another guy in the kitchen. Then again, I didn't really care where he was; I was having enough problems trying to figure the best way out of the situation I had landed myself in, trying to find any quick exits while I still could. Damn Malik and his invitation. 

"Bakura, drop the act already; we're going to help him, not murder him," Malik said deviously. 

Bakura raised an eyebrow. "We are?" 

"No, you're not," I said suddenly, standing. I didn't like the look of Bakura; something about him was wrong, too dangerous for the job. He didn't look at all trustworthy, and I wouldn't put my fate and Mokuba's in the hands of someone I couldn't trust, no matter what the risks were without him. Malik grabbed my wrist and yanked me back down before I could get too far, and it was all I could do not to backhand him for it. 

"Hold your temper, Seto; he may act like a hard ass, but he's cool. Besides, he's perfect for the job." 

"Oh?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. "Is he?" 

"Yeah – he's a master thief." 

At those words Bakura perked up, and his eyes took on a mischievous glint. "Well," he said smoothly, leaning back in his seat and propping one foot up on his knee, "I like the sound of this already." 

Malik nodded. "I thought you would." 

"So what does he need? Robbery?" 

"Kidnapping." 

Bakura smirked. "Same thing, but I don't deal with kids, you know that." I scowled at Malik, my right hand balling into a fist. If he knew that, why the hell drag me there to start with? I opened my mouth to say something – maybe to yell at him, or maybe to announce that I was leaving again – but before I could, Malik was already talking. 

"But this is different; this one's his brother." 

Bakura frowned; for a moment, I might have considered the idea that he was thinking. "Okay, let's hear it – why?" He cracked his knuckles, his attention turning unwaveringly on me. 

As much as I didn't want to say anything, he already knew too much. I was boxed in. "Because I want to get him out of the country with me." Bakura's eyes widened and he held up a hand as though to silence me, but I was undaunted; I'd started, and I had to finish. "He doesn't belong there, and I refuse – " 

"I thought I told you two to take your 'fun' somewhere else." Malik and I both turned to see my landlord standing behind the couch, frowning. "I don't like you guys doing this shit in the living room." 

"But Ryou, it's not really illegal," Bakura said, exchanging a look with Malik. I was left in confusion, gaze shifting from Bakura to Malik. I could only hope they didn't fuck up. I hadn't talked to him much more than to pay my rent, but from the sounds of it, Ryou wasn't a criminal like his look-alike housemate. 

"Yeah!" Malik pitched in. "This is about more than written law, it's…" 

"…the law of blood!" Bakura finished, smug look painted all over his face. "And…" 

Malik took over. "…love! This is about brotherly love. Think about it, that kid, all alone in that orphanage with no one to care for him. If we don't help Seto, he'll be there alone for years! This isn't about breaking the law, it's about – " 

" – helping a desperate man," Bakura finished, still looking smug as hell. I almost interjected that I was far from 'desperate', but I understood what was happening; I saw the pity softening Ryou's eyes. They were toying with his sympathies, and doing a damn good job from the looks of it. I didn't like it, not so much because I thought there was something wrong with Ryou – I liked the look of him more than I liked looking at Bakura – but because he looked innocent. He didn't belong in my business, and I knew it. 

Malik continued, "We're obligated to help him, as good people. This isn't about having fun." 

Ryou bit his lower lip and shifted on his feet a bit, but anyone looking at him could tell he was sold, no matter how hard he was trying to look indecisive. "You swear?" he asked hesitantly. Malik grinned at him. 

"Yeah, on our souls." Bakura snorted, but Malik continued, "Here, take a seat; I bet we'll need more than just us." Finally the attention turned back to me. "So, Seto, tell us about this orphanage – anything important that could make or break this operation?" 

I gritted my teeth from saying something about what they had just done, how they had just manipulated someone into this without my consent, and instead said, "What operation? I didn't agree to anything." 

"Oh for the love of…" Bakura growled and looked me dead in the eye, and once again I made note of how dangerous he looked. "Look, either you're here for help or you'll do it alone. I don't care whether you succeed or not, but if you're going to be this stubborn about it, then get the hell out and stop wasting my time." 

The retort was on my tongue; he was wasting my time just as much as I wasting his. I could get up, leave, and deal with my own issues on my own – as it should have been. But I hesitated, looking over the three of them – Bakura's scowl, Ryou's concern, and Malik's expression just blank. It wouldn't do me any good to refuse their help; I knew I needed it, and they knew too much to become enemies. So, instead of doing the smart thing, I stayed in my seat and said, "The orphanage is strict as hell about visitors; they'd never leave a kid unsupervised, especially with me." 

"Why?" Ryou asked. "That's horrible, not letting brothers have some alone time." 

"Well, you'd be like that too, if you heard my threats when I left; I've visited a few times since, but it's been such a hassle that they told me to stop coming." 

Bakura slapped his head and sighed. "You dumb shit – you admitted to the crime before you even committed it? You can't do anything now." 

"Excuse me?" I made a conscious effort not to shout as I continued, "There's no way in hell you can expect me to – " 

"I said YOU can't do it," Bakura cut in. "Lucky for you, you have accomplices now; you'll have to settle into the role of ring-leader now, but it can still be done." 

"I won't trust someone else with this," I growled. If that pompous fuck thought for one second that I would… "I'm not going to put my brother's life in some criminal's hands." 

With a grin and a click of his tongue Bakura reminded me, "You'll have to unless you want to land your ass in jail. Besides, if this all goes well, then you're a criminal too. Now, back to the orphanage – they don't let people in unsupervised?" 

"No," I seethed. 

"Hmm… Do they ever take the kids out? Like to the park or something?" 

"Not during the winter; they have menial entertainment on the property. Sometimes they take the kids to the hospital, but Mokuba isn't sick." 

"Shit." Bakura leaned back in his seat, looking up at the ceiling. "Well, plan not withstanding, what'll we need, Malik?" 

"Seto will need a concrete alibi," Ryou pitched in. I was surprised that he said anything at all; I wouldn't have expected him to have the first clue about what a crime would or wouldn't need. "As far away from the scene of the crime as possible." 

"And with people," Malik added, looking proudly at Ryou. "He's going to need a kidnapper. You and Ryou won't do, though; you're too close to him. We'll need someone he's never been seen with." 

"Yeah." Bakura was nodding. "So, alibi, kidnapper… You'll probably need someone to stow the kid away for a bit too; it'll look suspicious if you disappear right after he's been kidnapped." 

Ryou sighed and leaned again the back of the couch. "It'd be too dangerous to keep him here." 

"Right," Malik finished. "This is a lot of work for one kid – is he really worth it?" 

I glared at him and replied through gritted teeth, "Yes." 

"Well, fine," Bakura said, "but this is gonna take more than just us. We'll need a bigger group to pull this off." He looked too excited at the prospect for my comfort. 

"Good thing we know enough people," Malik chipped in. "Ryou, what do you think about goin' out and rounding up the group?" 

I considered the idea while Malik and Ryou discussed the whereabouts of their friends. I had never intended to let ONE stranger 'help' me, let alone several. Still, they had a good point – the officials at the orphanage were probably already waiting for me to do something drastic. As much as I didn't want to… I cleared my throat, effectively getting the room's attention. "Whomever you bring into this had better be prepared for it," I said – it was the closest to admitting that I needed their help as I intended to vocalized. "If I'm betrayed by one of your friends…" 

"Seto, Seto," Malik said disarmingly, patting my shoulder; I shrugged him off. "The first thing that'll help, is if you stop thinking of them as 'our friends' and start considering them your partners in crime. Here, give us a week, and we'll arrange a meeting, okay?" 

I nodded. "One week." I stood to leave, and Malik followed suit. 

"You guys can stay a while if you like," Ryou said. "Dinner should be done soon, and it can't hurt to get to know each other, right?" 

I stood and declined: "I've got things to do." 

"But I'll be back in a minute, so don't start without me," Malik said as he followed me out the door. Once it was closed, he whistled low. "I thought we were sunk there for a minute." 

"What was that?" I demanded. "You two deliberately manipulated him – I don't want anyone in this unwillingly, Malik." 

To my surprise, Malik's expression suddenly turned serious, and he crossed his arms over his chest, much like I had in the living room. "There's no way Bakura or I would do anything to put Ryou in danger. Sometimes he just needs a push off the path of righteousness." A second passed; Malik's glare faltered, and dissolved into a smile, as though he was recalling some fond memory. "I'm goin' back in for food. You sure you don't want to join us?" 

"Positive." 

"Only fools are positive, but to each his own – you're the one missing out." 

I rolled my eyes and went to the steps that led up to my apartment. Even if it was so close to the house that I couldn't practically hear them, it was enough just to be away; I didn't know if I could handle much more of them, which didn't bode well for my future at all. But more importantly than just being irritated with them, I had to let Mokuba know about the change in plans. 

--

_(Malik)_

  
"I don't like him," Bakura fumed as I entered the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, a fork in one hand and a bowl of rice in the other. "He's as self-righteous as Yami, and just as fucking irritating." 

"Cut the man some slack," I said, dishing myself some food. "Ryou, you liked him, right?" Ryou shrugged, not looking up from his newspaper as he took a bite of his dinner. I continued to Bakura, "It's not like you'll be dealing with him directly; you won't be doing the kidnapping, and that's who'll get the brunt of his shit." 

"I won't?" Bakura balked. "Why the fuck not?" 

I jumped up onto the counter beside him and knocked on his head. "Do the words 'outstanding warrant' mean anything to you, oh master thief? It'd be too conspicuous and dangerous, right, Ryou?" 

"Uh-huh – don't be stupid, Bakura," Ryou said, finally looking up at us. Bakura rolled his eyes and started eating his rice. "So who do you plan to have do it?" 

"I was thinking me and Jou could – " 

"No," Bakura interrupted, his fork snapping up to point at my face so quickly that I almost caught it in the eye. "I don't want him anywhere near it." 

In the back of my mind I swore, but I knew Bakura – given the right bribery, he could be rational… "Bakura…" 

"No." 

…except when his boy-toys were concerned. When that was the case, it took more than bribery – it took blackmail. Bakura went back to his rice, eating it so viciously that he might as well have been murdering it. I looked over his head at Ryou, who pointedly shook his head, like he could see what I was planning. I nodded slightly, and he stood, leaving the room. 

He didn't want to be part of it. That didn't surprise me; he didn't like it when I had to manipulate Bakura into something, even if it was for the best – good thing he didn't know how often Bakura and I tricked him, or we'd be in for one hell of an ass-kicking. "Bakura, he's perfectly capable." 

"He's not a criminal." 

"Yes he is. He might not be like you, or even me, but he was a street kid – he's got all the smarts he'll need for this sort of thing. Besides, if I have to, I'll tell him that you doubted his capability – you know he'll agree in a heartbeat if I tell him that." 

"But I..." He growled. "I hate you." 

I nodded and ignored the statement. "If he doesn't want to do it, I won't make him, so you might as well loosen his leash a little, okay?" 

"Fine! But if anything happens to him…" He threw his rice bowl into sink and left the room, shouting something that I didn't quite catch. 

"You'll get over it!" I called after him, leaning back against the empty dish rack. I guess I understood how he felt, a little bit. I mean, Seto and his manipulation rant… I didn't understand the guy; every ten minutes he was pulling something different – indifferent, then agreeable, then an asshole, then CARING about strangers? Even Bakura made more sense than that. Still, at the same time, I DID get him. He had an unpredictable streak – as he had proven when he gave in to us – and there was a passion to him; I could see it when he got angry. When he told me he was running away, I saw what I might have looked like to someone else – or at least what I might have sounded like. If someone had offered to help me back then… 

With a small grunt I hopped down from the counter, setting my bowl down and looking around the kitchen. 

If someone had offered to help me back then, I would have done the same thing that Seto did – tell them to get the fuck away from me. That was why I needed to help him. 

**-end chapter two-**

* * *

**notes**  
More thanks to purkledragon for beta'ing. bow Thanks to the reviewers as well! That made me feel better. :) 

Hmm, so now I'm more worried about just how slow it is or is not going. Heh, that, and Malik still worries me. And as for our subtle (and later, not quite so subtle) BakuraxJou hints... Well, there were two reasons behind this, but I only happen to know one of them -- that is, if I didn't do something with Jou, I was afraid that he was going to end up with Kaiba, and that was like murder right there, so I said no. Well, and I like BakuraxJou, for some unknown and probably bizarre reason. But mostly, its a lot like Malik's presence in the story; it snuck in when I wasn't looking. Heh.


	4. Chapter Three

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

_(Mokuba)_

I sighed, rolling onto my back and reaching under my pillow to make sure that the note was still there. I had gotten it from Miyuki earlier; that was usually how Seto made sure I got news of what he was doing. I was supposed to get rid of them when I was finished with them, but… Keeping it seemed important, especially now that Seto had his plan underway – more than ever before. Before it had been just been an idea, and I didn't expect anything to come from it. I loved my brother, and I had faith in him, but there were so many factors against us. Now… 

**I worked out a few issues; things should work out a little smoother from here on out.**

How could good news leave me so scared? 

"Are you still awake?" Nao muttered, his voice half-muffled by his blankets. I looked over to the boy in the bed right beside mine; I'd known him since I'd been in the orphanage, and for as long as I could remember, he had been in a bed beside me – Niisama had been in a room with boys his own age. He wasn't Niisama, but he was a good substitute if there weren't any other options. 

"Yeah; I'm just thinking," I admitted softly, taking my hand out from under my pillow and crossing my hands over my stomach. "Beats nightmares." 

"Lemme guess – you're thinking about Seto, right?" 

I shrugged, forcing a yawn and closing my eyes. "I don't really want to talk about it, Nao. Go back to sleep." 

He grunted, and I heard him shifting around on his bed. "Of course you don't want to talk about it – you don't want to talk about much of ANYTHING, Mokuba, do you realize that? In the entire time I've known you, you've said less in the past two months than in the past… I dunno, however fuckin' long I've known you." 

Telling him that he'd be the same in my situation wouldn't help – I wasn't about to announce that my kidnapping was being planned in a roomful of boys, and family was never a good topic in the orphanage… so I just kept my mouth shut, hoping he would give up. 

I wasn't so lucky. 

"Do you realize that you're not a day over five?" 

"What?" I bristled, shooting upright and glaring at his back, even if he wouldn't notice in the dark. "I'm the same age as you, so – " 

"Sure, sure," he interrupted dismissively. "I know THAT, but you still look at the world the same as when we were kids: that it revolves around your brother. Do you acknowledge that he's gone, and you're here? I just think it's time to start living in the now, not the past, or the future. Time to be you, Mokuba – not you, Seto's little brother." 

"Whatever," I retorted, falling back onto the bed and rolling onto my side. He was wrong – I was the same whether I was Mokuba or Seto's little brother. There had never been a distinction between the two, and there never would be, not when Seto was the only world I had. After all, an orphanage is a shitty place to attach your life to, and if Seto hadn't let me for so long, I wasn't going to start because he was gone. 

Maybe that was why he wanted me to leave; maybe he was afraid that I WOULD. 

I kinda was too. 

"It's not like I'm tryin' to piss you off or anything," Nao said. "I just think that clinging to family is a stupid thing to do." 

"Go to hell," I replied, staring at the wall in front of me. I couldn't blame him – in some way or another, everyone at the orphanage felt that way. I didn't think highly of family either, except for Niisama. "I'm going to sleep now." 

"Night," he grumbled. 

Still, Nao was wrong. Clinging to Niisama was all I'd ever had; it was the only thing that had been constant for me besides the orphanage. It was a great and terrible thing, because I knew Seto would be beside me always that I could depend on him, no matter what the costs. 

Even if it cost him everything. 

-- 

_(Seto)_

Malik's promised week turned out to be closer to two, but eventually they arranged a night for me to meet their friends. At 8:15 that night, I was faced with what Malik was calling my 'conspiratorial staff'. I recognized Bakura and Ryou, but after that, I was lost. Ryou was talking to a short boy with the strangest hair I had ever seen – it was three different colors and sticking up in all directions. 

"I didn't think hair could be a birth defect," I murmured, and Malik laughed. 

"Don't say that to Yami's face unless you want a black eye," he replied. 

"Yami?" 

"You'll know him when you see him; he looks just like Yuugi, just taller." Malik gestured toward Ryou and his companion as he spoke. 

Bakura was sitting on the couch with a lanky blond sprawled out between his legs, head on Bakura's knee. The blond didn't even look up to regard my presence, but Bakura nodded in my direction, scowling. I was ready to make a comment about his choice of company, but I didn't get the chance. 

"Okay!" Malik said, clapping his hands together. Everyone looked up to him, and he grinned, pointing to me. I stood tall; I didn't fidget, didn't look nervous… I disregarded the funny feeling in my stomach, as they all looked me over. If I was going to command these people, they had to see me as authoritative. "This is Seto. Seto, Yuugi is the one talking to Ryou, the whore in Bakura's lap is Jounouchi," that earned Malik a middle finger from Jounouchi and a hearty laugh from Bakura. He looked around and frowned a little bit. "And… Where the hell are Otogi and Yami?" 

Jounouchi said, "Yami ran out to get some food, since – " 

"We're here to discuss business, not eating habits," I interrupted, my tone cool. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to get this started." Jounouchi glared at me, but I ignored him and took a seat, looking over my companions. No, they weren't companions, they were my employees – I had to make sure they knew who was boss. "Exactly what good are any of you to me? This looks more like a teenage party than a group of criminals," I sneered. 

"Hey, fuck you," Jounouchi replied heatedly. "We're puttin' our asses on the line, so the least you can do is be a little grateful." 

"I'll save gratitude for when the plan succeeds." 

A smooth voice added, "That's the way to look at life." I looked over to a see a lean man with dark hair enter. "You're Seto, I presume." He held out a hand, and I shook it. Nice handshake, good presence – someone looked useful after all. "I'm Otogi; I've got the house to hide your brother in." 

"I see," I said. Otogi took a seat beside Bakura, and I continued. "Now I know why he's here. The rest of you?" 

The boy named Yuugi timidly piped up, "I'll be watching your brother. Otogi's too busy, and we figure he's too young to stay alone, right?" 

I nodded. 

"Jou and I will be the ones doing the deed," Malik said. I was of two minds on that from the get-go. Malik was too excited about it; I could see the anticipation in his eyes, the way he rubbed his hands together. And Jounouchi seemed entirely too arrogant – despite how little he'd said, I didn't like him. Still I had to look for the virtues in them… or at least try. Malik seemed to know what he was doing, and Jounouchi… well, I would have to wait and see. 

"Yup," Jounouchi replied. "Yuugi's also gonna be my alibi. Bakura, Ryou, and Yami are gonna be yours, and Malik isn't even gonna bother." 

Listening to them… in a way it made me angry. They had already pieced together a whole plot, MY whole plot, without waiting for my opinion. But I couldn't get that in; they were talking so quickly all of a sudden – something about the air had gotten them going, and they were pitching in their plans faster that I could grasp. I kept my face even, but my mind was racing, trying to fit all the puzzle pieces together, trying to make sure they would complete the picture I needed – the picture of Mokuba and me, leaving Japan. 

Finally, one string of conversation stuck out to me: Ryou's. 

"We'll have to spend some time cultivating a friendship; people around here notice when you go out with new people – so you'll have to spend some time with us. On the day of the crime, Bakura, Yami, and I are going to take you somewhere on the other side of town," Ryou explained. "Something public." 

Public. Friends. I cringed inwardly. Also, it was the second time someone had mentioned this Yami guy, but I had yet to see him. It was unnerving to have them talking about him as if he was an ally. I made sure my voice was louder than anyone else and began explaining, "In the summer the orphanage takes the kids out to the zoo – something of an annual field trip. That doesn't take place until July, and as much as I don't want to wait, it's going to be the safest for all involved." I glared pointedly at Jounouchi. I may not have liked them much, but that didn't mean I want them in jail, especially not for my deeds. "I don't want anyone caught." 

A voice interjected, "You do realize that if they're in public, they're likely to keep track of the children." 

"Yami," Yuugi said brightly, and I turned to see a carbon copy of Yuugi standing in the doorway. Well, not a copy, not exactly – he was taller, leaner, and his eyes were more striking… He definitely looked more criminal than Yuugi. "What took you so long?" 

"Run in at the gas station. Your food is in the kitchen, Jounouchi." 

Jounouchi's face split into a grin. "Perfect timing, man; I was going to die if I had to wait much longer." 

"We're not done here," I interrupted before he got up; he was already halfway out of Bakura's lap. "You'll have to wait." 

He groaned and flopped back down, adding, "By the way, Yami, this is our oh-so-fearless leader. Careful; he's a hard-ass to rival all hard-asses, even you." 

I felt his gaze sweep over me, as though he was searching for something, and I didn't like it. It was intruding. After a second Yami shrugged and said, "Nice to meet you." He offered a small nod. 

"Likewise," I replied curtly. "But you're assumption that the kids will be guarded is off. At least one kid runs off a year, and there's so many of us… By the time they realize Mokuba is missing, we'll have him somewhere far away from the zoo." 

"So your plan is to use their own carelessness against them," Yami clarified, still standing in the doorway. His words seemed to be just as probing as his eyes, and it was frustrating as hell to deal with. I hated the idea of him picking me apart as though I was some sort of puzzle. 

"Precisely." 

"It's perfect," Malik said, interrupting the conversation; we both turned to look at him. "There's nothing suspicious about being at the zoo in summer. All we need to do is lure the kid away for a couple of minutes – " 

"It won't be that easy," I cut in. "Yes, it's going to be easier, but that doesn't mean it'll be some walk in the park. You can't just leave a public place with a stolen kid; they'd recognize him – and you – a mile away on security tapes." 

Malik challenged: "Do they have security tapes in the zoo?" 

"Better safe than sorry," Ryou said, and I nodded. 

"So we'll bring him a change of clothes and have him change in the bathroom," Jounouchi suggested. "How distinctive can he be?" 

"He…" I leaned forward on my knees, thinking. I hated it, and Mokuba would hate me for it, but… "You'll have to cut his hair in the bathroom too." 

"I'm no barber, man," Jounouchi groaned. "Hair is just hair." 

"It's not just hair when he has a thick mass of it. Trust me – it'll need to be done. It doesn't have to look nice, it just needs to be gone and look different. Hack as much of it off as you can and do something with it – flush it, or whatever." 

"Fine," Jounouchi retorted. "Cut the hair, get some clothes – anything else?" 

I thought, counted off on my fingers. Not that I could think of. For the most part, what else was there to do? We'd have to talk about the plan, and refine it before the day came, but we had the fundamentals down. It was too late for me to back away from them; I'd gotten too swept up in it, told them too much – they were my allies, whether I liked it or not. Seven pairs of eyes were on me, waiting for my next word. Seven people who had my brother – and me – in their hands. 

It was a kindness I was unaccustomed to from strangers, and a liberty I was afraid to have given them too quickly. 

"I have one more question," I finally said. "Why? You've never met me, and I doubt that Malik is such a smooth talker that you all followed him without reason." 

Bakura was the first to answer. "Sounds like a challenge." Ryou shot him a glare, and he added, "And I respect your devotion." 

Ryou, Yuugi, and Otogi mirrored that second reason, and I looked to Jounouchi. He was important, much as I already disliked him; he was going to be one of the biggest players in this game. 

"And you? You're the biggest at risk here." 

Jounouchi shot me a crooked grin. "I've got a baby sister myself, and in your shoes, I'd do the exact same thing. And I'm not the only one riskin' my neck – Malik's helpin' me." 

"Well, I've been a runaway," Malik replied smoothly, before I could turn to ask for his answer. "I know how hard it is, and if I can make it easier… Well, I wouldn't want to see some kid suffer unjustly." 

After that, an awkward silence filled the room, and I turned to look at Yami, still perched in the doorway of the room. "And you?" 

He shrugged. "I have my reasons." He was watching Yuugi, who had started talking to Ryou. Perhaps they were brothers – I could understand that, but I didn't bother to ask. So long as he stayed loyal… 

"So…" Malik said, looking around. "Do agree to this rag-tag group of shits?" 

I looked them over for what must've been the millionth time that night. They weren't criminals, probably not even mean people; the idea of them teaming up on my behalf was boggling, even after I knew their reasons – it all just didn't add up. But the plan seemed efficient, and they seemed suited to their roles. The reasons were straight forward, and I was pretty good at reading people – I didn't see a Judas in the crowd. 

When it came right down to it, what choice did I have left? 

"Sure." 

**-end chapter three-**

* * *

**notes**  
continuous ultra-thanks (hmm, I think I made that up) to purkledragon, for being such an awesome beta. smile 

umm... I can't think of much to say. It occurs to me when in the third chapter that we've got all these plans already coming out at the third chapter... yeah, it's really quick. Hopefully that isn't going to kill the overall mood of it.  
  
**also: **thanks to Sakata Ri Houjun, for pointing out an error I'd missed. heh, sorry about that. :)


	5. Chapter Four

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_(Seto)_

**_Seto – so far, so good. Mokuba is okay, but he still has nightmares. 8 o'clock tomorrow._**

Miyuki's notes were always like that –concise and almost illegible. I didn't care; I didn't want her opinions or scoldings… She saved those for when we met face to face. 

I looked at the note again. I could sympathize with Mokuba. 

April. 

The months had passed too quickly, but no matter how long the time actually was, I still couldn't bring myself to trust my 'partners'. It seemed like they'd never be ready – I was almost sure they shouldn't have been involved at all. It's what I get for trusting Malik's judgment in people, I guess. 

Malik. He was entirely too flippant about the whole ordeal. The only 'support' he offered was to give me some tips on how to survive once I was out of the country. On the plus side, I knew he was capable, even he wouldn't say anything personal about himself. I never pressed the issue, though; once I was in the States with Mokuba, I'd probably tell people the same thing… assuming that I told them anything at all. 

Jounouchi was hotheaded, arrogant, impulsive, and a complete pain in my ass – all the wrong traits for a calculated kidnapper, and Mokuba's fate was in his hands. We were always going head-to-head when we spent more than half an hour together and we disagreed of everything but the kidnapping – it was the only thing we seemed to have the same thoughts on. 

As far as I could tell, Yuugi and Ryou were harmless at best, which meant that they were completely incompetent; they were the least useful in my plan. At least Yuugi seemed kind, the good guy to be a babysitter, and Ryou wouldn't do anything stupid, as his chief concern seemed to be keeping Bakura and Malik safe. 

"We're done," Yami said, interrupting my thoughts. "No one's said anything in fifteen minutes." I glared at him as people started getting up, filtering out – I hated when he took charge; even if I had been spacing out it was still my place, not his. At his best, Yami was arrogant – at his worst, he was just plain irritating. 

Otogi passed my chair, throwing some rude comment back to Bakura. I reevaluated my thoughts; he was the most useless player. All he was there for was a house – important, I suppose, but he didn't really DO anything. I watched the rest of them leave, and noticed with some relief that Bakura went upstairs… and after a second Jounouchi followed. Maybe I'd be able to stay home that night. I didn't want to go out; I never wanted to go out, I didn't want to waste the time "adding credibility to my alibi," as Yami so eloquently phrased it whenever I tried to get out of whatever mundane activity he or Bakura would plan. 

"Have you been eating?" Yami asked suddenly, and it took all my composure and self-control not to jump in surprise. I hadn't even realized that he was still there, let alone looking down at me. 

"What?" 

"You. Have you been eating enough?" he repeated. "I don't remember you being so thin and you look like you haven't seen the light of day in weeks." 

I shrugged. "Well, you and Bakura like to go out at night. It's none of your concern – do what you're here to do and leave me to me." 

Yami sat on the couch; internally, I swore. Sitting meant he had something to say and he planned to stay long enough to say it. "I'm here to be your alibi, to appear as your friend; in a convoluted way, it's my place to worry about you." He placed his feet up on the coffee table and I looked around for Ryou; if Ryou came back and saw Yami doing that, then this whole conversation would end, and I could sneak out while Yami was getting chewed out… "You don't talk much about how you feel about all this," he continued. "You give a lot of plans, but there's no emotion in it. I wonder, what are you thinking when you tell us what needs to be done?" 

I shrugged again. Yami didn't need to know how I felt about this; we'd only know each other for a few more months. After that we'd be strangers again. I didn't pour my heart out to strangers. 

Yami didn't relent. Stern eyes locked with mine, matching his tone as he said, "We'll need your strength if this is going to succeed, Seto. If you haven't been taking care of yourself, then you need to start." 

He was baiting me for a response… but I couldn't resist. "Why is my strength needed – all I do is talk and watch when it all does down," I spat. 

"Does that bother you?" 

"Of course," I snapped, quickly losing track of my vow not to tell more than necessary. "This is my younger brother, and I've got hand him over to people I hardly trust!" 

"It must kill you." It might have been my imagination, but for a second, I swear that Yami looked a little hurt… but before I could look further into it, he had stood and moved to me, holding out his hand. "Come on." 

"I don't want to go out. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, Bakura is busy." 

"Just me and you," Yami said. "I think it'll be worth your while." 

I eyed the hand warily, and that tri-haired bastard just grinned at me. I hated that; I hated that he acted like he understood me, and how when it came to these little mind games, he always seemed to win. If the circumstances were different, I never would have voluntarily worked with him. 

"Believe me," he persisted. 

Hesitantly I nodded and stood, but I refused his hand – I wasn't going to be helped up. "Where are we going?" I asked as Yami led me to the door. I followed him to the driveway, got into his car, without a reply. Either I was getting really trusting, or I was off my game. I was leaning towards the latter. 

"You'll see," Yami replied as he started the engine and buckled himself in. I didn't follow suit. "What's so bad about this orphanage, anyway?" 

"The other kids." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah – they picked on him all the time." 

"Why?" Yami persisted, and if he hadn't been driving, I might have told him to shut up and leave me alone. What was so interesting about my childhood anyway? "Is he a little demon or something?" 

"There's nothing wrong with him," I huffed. "He was a kid, and easy target – when boys get bored, they get mean." 

"Ah." 

I sighed and turned to look out my window, and nearly hit the glass in surprise. 

We were approaching the orphanage. 

"What are you doing?" I hissed, overcome with the urge to duck down in my seat. Yami grinned and switched off the headlights. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" 

"I'm doing you a favor," Yami replied. He drove just a little past the orphanage, stopping the car in some random parking lot. "It'll do you good to see your brother." 

"Shut up," I growled, clenching my fists at my side. "You're a sick fuck to –" 

"Calm down," Yami replied suavely; it only served to piss me off more. "I need to know the room he's in." Yami got out of the car, and I followed – I didn't see what choice I had. We were approaching the wall that surrounded the orphanage's property, and Yami prompted, "Well?" 

"When you get caught, I'm not going to help you," I warned him. "I won't put all my plans on the line for you." 

"That's fine," Yami smirked. "I won't get caught. Where is he?" 

With a sigh I grumbled, "At the right wing of the building there's a couple bedrooms; he's in the second to last one, in the bed against the furthest wall, unless they moved him. You won't make it to him without being seen." 

"Okay – go wait by the front gate." 

"No." 

"This is an orphanage, not a prison; I don't think they have guards. Now go." With that Yami started to climb the wall, grunting softly as he found stones to hoist himself up. I just rolled my eyes. 

"Moron." Still, I went to the gate like told, trailing my hand over the uneven stone surface of the wall. I wanted Yami to succeed; it was exciting to see Mokuba again, even under the circumstances. In a way, though, I wanted him to fail. I wanted that proof that he could fail, that his stupidity was subject to the laws of logic… 

Then I'd have the proof I needed to get away from my 'companions'. 

Near the gate I found myself staring at one part of the wall that didn't match the rest, a battle scar on an otherwise unmarred surface. I remembered when it had been repaired nearly a decade ago, remembered the car that had totaled it. Remembered the opportunity that had died with the passengers… 

"Niisama!" came the urgent whisper from the edge of the gate. I ran forward to see Mokuba hiding down where the gate and the wall met; Yami was leaning with his back against the metal, tilted at an angle so Mokuba was squeezed between his legs and the bars. 

"I don't want to be mean," Yami murmured, "but let's keep this short – I can't stand like this too long without being seen." 

"'kay," Mokuba said sleepily. I knelt down to his level and smiled. "What's happening, Niisama? Who is this?" 

"Never mind him – we can talk about him later. You're going on the trip in July, to the zoo, right?" 

Mokuba nodded eagerly. "Uh-huh; I wasn't planning to, but Miyuki signed me up and told me that I needed to – I guessed that it was your plan. I'm even in her group. Do we really have to wait until July?" 

I nodded, and leaned in to whisper, "If you can, you should look into learning some English. Covertly." 

"English? Are we going to –" 

"Shh," I interrupted, reaching through the bars to touch his cheek. Next time I'd see him probably wouldn't be until after July… "Have you been sleeping better?" 

"Kinda." 

I smiled at him, pulling my hand back. "Make sure you do that, okay, kid?" He nodded. "Okay – you should go back to bed now." Yami stood straight as soon as the words left my mouth, and Mokuba leaned a little tighter against the bars, as though he was still trying to hide. 

"Can we trust him?" 

I hesitated. I didn't want to tell him that half the reason I had anyone in on this plan was because I really hadn't felt like there was another choice; it wouldn't reassure him. I nodded. "Goodnight." 

"Night, Niisama." Mokuba stood, and I stared up at him. He was getting older, taller than when he was a child. In no time he'd be a man – it'd happen too soon, but at least for a few years, for some time, I would be the one to see him through that part of his life. Not a stranger, not a bunch of bitter brats, and not any adopted parents, but me. His brother. His blood. 

"Head back to the car," Yami said under his breath, and I sighed. I guess I owed him one – while I was listing all the ways that I hated him, I hated that too. I stood and went to the car, only pausing for a moment to look at the battle scar that I remembered so well. I got in on the passenger side, sitting and taking a moment to breathe. It wasn't a welcome thing to see that wall again; if anything, it mocked me simply by existing. I could still hear it – the squeal of tires, and Mokuba, demanding to know what was happening, why everyone was so excited… 

I still remembered every word of the obituary that had said nothing to me except 'wasted opportunity'. 

Another opportunity had never come along, and now… Now I had to put Mokuba in danger just to be with him. I cursed softly to myself, pounding a fist down on the dashboard. 

"See, out without a trace," Yami said as he opened the driver's side door. "Feel better?" 

No. I wanted to shout that it disgusted me to that I had to sneak around to see my own brother… but I just nodded. If nothing else, I owed him my gratitude. I guess I owed all his damn friends my gratitude. 

I couldn't stand that. 

"Good – now we're going out," Yami said sternly, starting up the car and speeding out of the parking lot. "You look tense – did seeing your brother make you that nervous?" 

"Something like that." 

I didn't say anything else during the drive. 

--

_(Yami)_

"Where's Seto?" Ryou asked, looking up from his book. Bakura was somewhere in the house, shouting about his boots. 

"In the car," I told Ryou, ignoring Bakura's ranting. 

"Ah. Is he going out tonight then?" 

"Yes. You?" 

Ryou shook his head. "I don't like clubs, remember? Isn't there somewhere else to go?" 

For once, alcohol was a necessity – Seto was so wound up when I left the car, I expected to him to snap when I closed the door. Any normal person could've been calmed down by words, but Seto… I had a feeling he was going to need chemical help. Nothing else had gotten him to talk about what was bothering him. 

"No," Bakura answered for me, stomping down the stairs. "Are you going to sit around all night and read?" 

"That is the plan, yes," Ryou answered coldly, looking down at his book. If I had to guess, I'd say they'd fought again. 

"Whatever," Bakura said, headed for the door. I nodded goodbye to Ryou, and followed. "Where were you guys?" Bakura asked once we were outside. 

I kept my tone casual as I said, "I took him to see his brother." 

"What?" Bakura bellowed, too close to my ear for my pleasure. "Are you out of your fucking mind? Your whole purpose is to be an alibi, not to risk this whole operation before it's begun! Moron! Idiot!" 

"Calm down," I snapped as I opened the car door; Bakura got in the back, slamming his door so hard, I swore the car shook. "I didn't get caught – just because we all didn't grow up to be liars and criminals doesn't mean we can't hold our own." I closed my door and started the car; Seto was just watching us. He didn't look calm, but he didn't look like he felt any better either. 

Bakura grumbled something under his breath and replied, "If you were anyone else, I assure you I'd have killed you long ago." 

"Likewise." 

The drive was silent after that – Seto didn't seem too eager to contribute to conversation, and Bakura was still sulking in the backseat. It wasn't a very comfortable drive, and I was relieved to announce, "We're here," as I pulled into the parking lot. 

"Good. I'll see you later," Bakura snapped, rushing out of the car and into the building. I sighed and waited for Seto; we got in without a hitch… Unless Seto's sulking counted as a hitch. 

"Go find somewhere to sit," I told him. "I… Just a second, I'm going to go get a drink. Want anything?" 

"Whatever – your call." 

I grinned and teased, "I think that's the most you've ever trusted me, Seto." I was quick to get our drinks, and I went in search of Seto; I found him in a booth. He was enthralled with the dance floor that was just to the left of our table, eyes darting from different people and couples. I guess it was an interesting sight. Some people bobbed and swayed awkwardly, while others giggled and blushed, evading others that tried to pull them out onto the floor. Then there were those that flowed and twisted with the music as though it was a part of them. 

"A lot on your mind?" I asked, trying to get his attention as I sat down. 

"Sort of," he said, eyes not leaving the crowd. 

I paused, pushing a bottle across the table to him. "Are you –" 

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted, waving a hand at me and reaching for his drink; he didn't open it. "What's your story? You told me that you're worried about Yuugi; I assumed you're brothers." 

"We're not," I said. Maybe I should've lied and said we were; it'd be easier to explain, and maybe he'd be a little more open if he thought we had some sort of common bond – but I couldn't bring myself to be dishonest with him. Besides, we did have a common bond… in an uncommon way. 

"If you aren't related, then why bother caring at all?" 

"Why not?" I replied. He didn't say anything; maybe he didn't have an answer. "You dance?" I asked, changing the topic. 

"No." 

"Ah. I've never done it, but Yuugi loves to, when no one else is around. I'm still trying to get him to go out and just do it." 

Seto shrugged, and finally looked over to face me, opening his beer and taking a drink. "You really give a damn about this Yuugi kid, huh?" 

"Yes. It's like with your brother – I couldn't care any more than I already do, even if we did share blood." 

"Why?" He seemed genuinely curious, and I wanted to be able to explain it to him; I wanted to be able to give him a definite, concrete answer… but it wasn't one that I had. 

"I'm driven to protect him," I said dismissively, taking a swig of my beer. Seto didn't look like he appreciated my answer, and he had gone back to staring at the dance floor. "Why are you so tense right now?" 

He didn't respond, and I took another drink, still trying to come up with the right thing to say to get him to calm down, to open up. After a second I cleared my throat. "I don't know my parents either. In your situation, I'd cling to any family I had left too. We're not going to fail." I smiled at him, but he just snorted. 

"You're very cocky. Do you think that highly of these people?" 

"I've known them for years and good or bad as they may be, the entire group is capable. So you can trust us, okay? I heard you tell your brother to get some sleep, and I want you to the same." 

"But I'm his older brother, I can tell him to do that. You're just –" 

"A friend," I finished. 

"Don't be mistaken, Yami – you're playing the role of a friend." Even as he said it, he didn't sound as convinced as usual, and despite the harshness of his words, the tone made me feel better. 

Maybe in a way, he was relaxing, little by little. 

"Oh, okay," I said, trying not to smile. "In any case, you should heed my advice. It's going to be July before you know it, and you need to be ready." 

He looked at me again, and his eyes were determined. "I'll be ready for it," he said firmly, and I smiled then. 

I hoped he was right. 

**-end chapter four-**

* * *

**notes**  
hardkore thanks to purkledragon, for being an awesome beta once again, and also to Kagemihari, for pointing out that there needed to be a REASON Seto & Mokuba had never been adopted, then helping me work it out. Thanks! 

Please forgive the wait; we moved, and I was in bad mood, and internet was down for 2 weeks, and... lots of shit. But I am back, we're settling well, and all should be well from here on out. :) 

Funnily, after writing this, I looked back, and the in the manga Mokuba says that Seto cheated – he knew. It would have been more logical for him to have made some request… but I don't like Gozaburo much, so I enjoyed this a little more. shame lol 

Did you know that Word says "scoldings" isn't a word? And the dictionary agrees. Pity, that – I liked the word. So I kept it. 

Another random note: random dude I know on AIM through somewhat strange circumstances IMs me one day, as he tends to do, and we're talkin', and he tells me that the grammar of the title is wrong. Now, this is very possible – I don't know Latin, and I copied it down from "the Canterbury Tales," so I could've copied it wrong (or even copied it right, but got dyslexic, started saying it wrong, and never bothered to double check). I jut find it amusing, because I can't conceive actually changing the title. Does that make me bad? Lol. Anyway, so ends random story.


	6. Chapter Five

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

(_Jounouchi_)  
There's something about the eve of a crime that radiates energy; no matter what you do, you can feel it in everyone around you – just like I was right then. Malik was working on my car, swearing under his breath and asking me about the last time I had it looked at. Bakura was sitting on his porch, bullshitting with Ryou. Yuugi was somewhere inside with Yami, and Seto… well, he was sitting midway down the stairs that led up to his apartment, and even though he wasn't talking, and my back was too him, I knew that he was just staring. 

We'd originally been inside, going through some last minute plans, but eventually… it just died off, and no matter what anyone tried, the conversation didn't start up again – not even the suggestion of ordering pizza helped. I knew that we were all wondering how are we going to make this work, and the only reason we wondered it was because we knew that Seto was wondering it, the bastard; we were insecure because HE was insecure. I swear, the more time I spent with him, the more I regretted agreeing when Ryou asked me if I was interested in helping his tenant. 

"I'll be right back," I said, tapping Malik on the spine as I walked by. I avoided Seto as much as I could – which wasn't exactly easy – but I wanted to talk to him personally before I got myself into any trouble on his behalf. Sure, it was a little late for that, but it was all I had. "So, excited?" I asked, sitting two steps down from him. 

"No." 

I sighed. "You should be – a lot's going down tomorrow, and – " 

"I'm well aware of what tomorrow is," he snapped. "But thank you for the reminder. Now if you don't mind…" 

"I do mind," I retorted. "Would you quit with the bullshit attitude for ten minutes, because it's not exactly reassuring when a leader has no faith in the people helpin' him. What do you have against us, anyway?" 

He looked down at me; for a minute I thought he wasn't ever going to answer, but finally he said flatly, "You're human." Just like that, as though it was the perfect reason. 

"So are you." 

"But I have reason to put my all into this – I'd never risk messing this up. You – " 

"Wouldn't either," I said. "Look, I told you once that I've got a kid sister. I'd do anything for her too, even break the law. I may not know this kid of yours, but I wouldn't want to screw your chances with him either. So could you at least have a little faith?" 

"I can't afford faith." He shifted, leaning back against the railing and propping his feet up on the stair. He stared straight ahead, barely blinking; he seemed to be in a different world. "What about your sister?" 

"What about her?" 

"What's she like?" 

I looked off to the sky, smiling at the clouds. I guess I couldn't avoid talking about her, even if I had wanted to. Not like he hadn't shared stuff like that with us – might as well return the favor. "She's the sweetest girl ever, but I haven't seen her in forever – she lives with my mom. I guess I'm kind of afraid to now." 

Seto was naturally quiet, and I wasn't surprised when he didn't say anything. In truth, I wasn't too eager for him to reply – so of course, he did. Talk about a double shock. "Why?" 

I looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "Since when did you give a damn about other people?" 

He just shrugged, frowning. You'd think the guy had never heard someone talk about his sister before, with the look on his face – like he was digesting information, analyzing it… 

"I forgot – you were raised in that orphanage too, huh?" He nodded, and I sighed. For a second, I felt bad… "I made a lot of promises to her when she was little – like we'd see the beach again sometime – and I can't really come through." 

"Some brother you are," he snorted, finally looking over at me, his eyes coming into focus – not that I appreciated that. In all the comparatively civil conversation, I must have forgotten that sympathy wasn't his strong suit. 

"She's blind," I retorted sharply. "C'mon, now, this isn't something I tell everyone, so try to be a little gracious about the fuckin' thing." 

He just shrugged again. "Fine. So she's blind – is that your fault?" 

"No, but… I mean, I don't know what to do for her now. I don't know if you get the sentiment, but I know what it feels like to stare at your ceiling in the morning and realize that you've failed at the only job that's really important." 

"Job?" he said with a slight hitch of his eyebrow – confusion. If not for the fact that he'd have kicked my ass, I would've laughed – not because he was confused, but because he had never shown me anything but scorn. Confusion was a pretty good leap up. 

"Yeah, job – I'd think that of anyone, you could understand that being a big brother takes work." 

He scoffed, "I always found it more of a pleasure." 

And I was quick to counter, "A labor of love, then, but still a kick in the ass. All I'm tryin' to say is that if I can help… I would rather not have you wake up a failure if your brother's options are your success or spendin' the rest of his teenage years in an orphanage." 

He paused, staring down at the step, and for one split second, I almost thought that he appreciated my effort – that after dealing with his shit for so long, he finally realized what was going on. 

Then his head snapped up, and I almost jumped right down the stairs at the look on his face – if I had to judge by the glare he was giving me, I'd think I had insulted his dead grandmother or something. "You're an imbecile," he ground out. "If you wake up feeling like a failure, it's because you are – don't assume that everyone is as weak." He was up in a flash, storming up the stairs. I stared after him for a second, then jumped to my feet, clutching the railing to keep my balance. A million indignant responses and insults ran through my head, but only one made it out my mouth. 

"Go to hell, Seto." 

And it didn't make me feel any better – I doubted he even heard it over the slamming of his door. 

-- 

(_Malik_)  
Everyone looked up as Jounouchi stomped down Seto's steps, but no one was surprised. If the worst that was going to happen was a little stomping, then it had been a glowing success in my opinion. But before I could ask Jounouchi what had happened, he burst, "We're gonna do great tomorrow – the whole fucking thing is gonna go without a hitch." 

"What got you so determined?" Bakura asked, the corners of his mouth turning upward just slightly. 

"Because if we fail, that bastard is going to be livin' right there," Jounouchi pointed towards Seto's apartment, "until the kid is old enough to leave the orphanage, and I REFUSE to put up with him for a second longer than I have to." With that he stormed into the house, slamming the door much like Seto had. I looked around, finally settling on Ryou – usually he had something to say in these situations. 

"Whatever keeps him motivated," he shrugged, going back to talking to Bakura. I shrugged in response, turning back to Jounouchi's car… but that lasted all of ten minutes before I found myself looking up to Seto's apartment. No one had gone to talk to him – I knew that no one wanted to, not right at THAT moment, but it had to be done. I couldn't just leave a guy to stew about his last chance with his brother. 

With a sigh I closed the hood of the car, heading over. When I made it to the door I knocked gently, waiting for some violent response. 

Nothing. 

I pushed the door open just a little, and got exactly what I expected: he snapped, "If this is another damn pep talk, I'm not interested!" 

"Oh shut up," I said, opening the door just enough to lean against the edge, clutching the doorknob behind my back. Seto was sitting in a chair – staring at the ceiling. "What are you so up in arms about?" 

"You people THINK I need to be cheered up and helped out and guided through this – I don't. I just need you to do what I asked, and do it well. Beyond that, you owe me nothing. Stop pretending you do." 

Not what I had expected him to say – I hadn't prepared myself for anything more than a casual 'fuck off', and I got a tirade in response. I understood; to have an entire group coddling him (as coddling seemed to be a second-nature to some of them) must have been strange. It would've driven me insane. "Did you ever stop long enough to consider that they actually like you?" 

He laughed, but he didn't sound amused. Finally he turned away from the ceiling and looked at me. "Did they ever stop to consider that it isn't welcome?" 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

He shrugged and turned back to his ceiling. "I'm trying to do this my way, and…" He grunted, eyes narrowing at some imaginary foe on the ceiling. "Never mind – I just want tomorrow to go without flaw." 

That was devotion – Seto could've been rude, snappy, even downright mean to any one of us, but when it was all stripped back, he was just a devoted guy. If he hadn't been, we wouldn't have known him at all. Not that it gave me a damn clue to exactly what was going on in his head – though I wasn't so sure I'd get it, even if I knew. I'd always been the little brother. "I have a sister," I said – it sounded more like an admission of guilt than a fact. I only mentioned her because for a minute, I wondered if somewhere, she was as torn up about me as Seto was over his brother. But I couldn't tell him that; what sort of kidnapper got soft around the edges? 

At first Seto didn't move; I figured it meant that he didn't care. "What, you too?" he finally grumbled. "Are you going to tell me all about how big brothers fail all the time too? How'd you mess her life up?" 

I shook my head. "She's older, actually. But I just left. She didn't want me too, but the same night that I promised to stay, I left, and haven't talked to her since." 

To my surprise, Seto sounded amused – cynical, maybe even a touch nervous, but amused. "My kidnappers come from hopeless families – that doesn't bode well for me, does it?" 

I laughed and shrugged. "We're going to be the best kidnappers ever, so shut up, relax, and be on your game tomorrow, okay?" 

He nodded; it was the last movement I saw as I left, closing the door in my wake. "Likewise." 

All I really wanted to do was tell him that he had the luckiest little brother alive. 

**-end chapter five-**

* * *

Many thanks to purkledragon for her beta'ing goodness. v 

I'm irked by this chapter. Yes, irked. Because I REALLY like it, but I'm afraid it doesn't do so much except transition. Ugh, transition, you mock me! But I really liked Malik's POV, and Jounouchi's was fun, but that might be because i love it when Kaiba & Jou fight. And... Yeah. So hopefully it'll all work out okay. ;; 

**EDIT**: Many thanks to Shaylo, who pointed out a name error! ::sheepish:: I'm so used to Kaiba that I didn't even catch it. Thanks!!


	7. Chapter Six

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_(Seto)_  
11:15 A.M. I drank my coffee, looking over the newspaper in front of me. Yami, Bakura, Ryou, and I were sitting outdoors in a coffee shop, clear on the other end of Domino from the zoo. We were calm, we were collected, and supposedly we were inconspicuous. However, my companions were just staring at me, barely touching their coffee. Morons. 

11:16 A.M. Jounouchi and Malik were one minute late. "If you keep staring," I said, taking a sip of my coffee and not looking up from the article I was pretending to read, "people might get suspicious." Ryou immediately looked down into his coffee, Yami leaned over to look at the paper with me, and Bakura started eying pedestrians. It had almost looked less suspicious to have them all watching me. 

"Nervous?" Yami asked, swirling his spoon in his drink. 

"No," I lied. I tried to look at my watch without Yami noticing. 

11:17 AM. They still hadn't called – I went through the mental inventory of all the things that could have stalled them. They might have forgotten or lost the cell phone, the battery may have died, the car crashed, they forgot… they were caught already… 

11:18. 

19. 

The cell phone finally rang, and Ryou answered it; he had been deemed the main communicator since he was the most social of the four of us. "Hello?" A second passed before he smiled, giving us the thumbs up sign. 

It had begun. 

-- 

_(Malik)_  
I was leaning against the bathroom wall, trying to look nonchalant. No one was paying me much attention, so I must have been doing it right, I figured. I looked around for Jou, for the kid, and then down to my watch. 

11:16 AM. 

Fuck – Seto would flip; he was a very concise guy, and any delays in the schedule spelled out failure in his fucked up little head. "C'mon, Jounouchi, don't pull some stupid shit now," I murmured to myself, tapping my foot impatiently. I could just imagine Seto sitting there, trying to pretend nothing was wrong – and probably succeeding – when inside he was contemplating just how to commit suicide when the cops knocked on his door. 

Three more minutes passed without sight of either of them. "Fuck," I sighed, taking the cell phone from my pocket to call Ryou. We'd just have to play with the facts a little – just enough to keep Seto in one piece. What was taking so long anyway? Maybe the kid had a change of heart? I'd see Seto's letters from his nurse; maybe the kid decided he couldn't handle the risks… thought that seemed unlikely; it seemed ridiculous to give up the chance to be free. I hadn't. 

"Hello?" Ryou asked; I could hear the nerves in his voice – the tension practically poured through the phone. They'd all been waiting, not just Seto. 

"Ryou, don't ask questions, but give everyone the sign that everything's going according to plan. We're running a little behind schedule, and I'm on my way to fix that, but Seto doesn't need to know, alright?" 

A second passed. "Okay," he said brightly – putting up a farce for the group. What a great guy. I kept the phone pressed to my ear as I walked towards the amphitheater where Jou was supposed to meet the kid. I was halfway there when he came out and saw me. He gave me a hand signal to get my ass back to the bathroom, and I grinned, making an about-face. 

The kid would be just a few minutes behind him. 

"Game on." 

-- 

_(Mokuba)_  
Miyuki-san leaned down in the dark of the theater and kissed my forehead. "I'll miss you, kiddo," she whispered. I felt my heart pounding, felt like I was choking on my own fear. I barely remembering losing my dad, didn't remember my mom at all, but I bet it felt like this – like I would never be the same ever again. I had seen the guy that Niisama told me about, and now it was my turn. If I wanted to be with Niisama like I said I did, then it was not the time to chicken out. 

Miyuki-san had straightened up again and was scolding some younger kids in the group. I cleared my throat, and she turned to look down at me as though she hadn't expected it. "Miyuki-san, may I go to the restroom?" I asked, just as loudly as I needed in order to be heard. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the guy nod and leave the building. 

"Hurry back," she said authoritatively, and then turned back to the misbehaving kids. 

I wish I could've said goodbye to her properly before I left, thanked her for helping us so much, for putting her job on the line just to help two ordinary orphans. I bit my lip and stared at her back, resisting the urge to hug her. 

But I had to go. 

I squinted as I stepped out of the theater into the daylight, looking around for the bathroom. There – it was just across from me, and sure enough, Niisama's coworker was there. I almost waved; he had been cool the one time I had met him. He caught my eye and nodded slightly before turning and going into the bathroom, leaving me to follow. 

My first step was a little hesitant, but with each one I was gaining a little more momentum, a little more resolve. I was leaving a place with no family, no future; no one was going to pick on me – or Niisama – anymore. We could do whatever we wanted and no one would be around to tell us otherwise. All I had to do was go into that bathroom and go with the plan. I was practically running when I hit the door; it swung open and then shut as I went in. All that was left to go into the stall; I could change clothes and… I paused and looked at myself in the mirror – admired myself, even. I know people always told me that pride came before the fall – and this was no time to be falling – but I had to mourn for a minute. I really liked my hair. 

I just loved Niisama a lot more. 

I sighed and pushed the stall door open, closing it behind me and looking at them both. Two blonds – Malik, and the guy I didn't know. Go figure the one I didn't know was the one holding the scissors. "Let's get this over with," I sighed. 

The guy rolled his eyes and nodded. "Just like your brother. Face me," he said quietly, and I obeyed; Malik moved to stand behind me. "Malik, get as much of his hair in the bag as possible." I heard the rustle of a plastic bag; it pressed against my neck and around my hair. The blond was wearing gloves, and there was a backpack on the back of the toilet, probably where my new clothes were. It was relieving to see how seriously they were taking the whole thing. 

"What's your name?" I asked the guy with the scissors, keeping my voice low. He was gathering my hair back, almost like he was putting it in a ponytail. I could almost hope… 

"I can tell you in the car," he breathed. "This isn't the place. Now hold still; this isn't going to be the best barber job you've had." It took him almost two minutes to butcher all my hair, and I had to close my eyes – I could barely stand to hear the scissors. It was silly to be so upset over my hair, but it was better than wondering how our escape would go. 

"There." The blond guy put the scissors into his pocket, and I could hear Malik tying the bag shut behind me. I hesitantly shook my head, and made a face when I felt my hair brushing along my ears. At least it would grow back. The blond tossed the bag on the toilet at me; I barely caught it. "Change. Put your clothes in there." He took the tied bag of my hair from Malik. "And hurry." With that he left the stall, dragging Malik out by his elbow. Before it closed, Malik smiled and flashed me a quick thumbs up. I ran my hands through my shorter hair before I changed, folding my old clothes neatly and putting them in the bag. 

"Yeah, yeah," I heard Malik whisper. "We're still on task – it's not like we're having some wild orgy with a thirteen year old." I blinked and opened the stall door, slinging the backpack over my shoulder. Malik smiled at me and whistled low. "Lookin' good." 

"It's nothing," I replied, looking down – just jeans and a t-shirt, a little too baggy; I looked in a mirror and was impressed. If it wasn't for my face, I wouldn't look like me at all. "I don't know if Niisama has said it, but… Well, thanks. I don't think you know what this means to him… us." My voice shook, and I looked down, embarrassed about how I sounded. 

Malik patted my shoulder and ruffled my hair so it fell around the front of my face before pushing a baseball cap down over it. "Don't worry, okay? No matter what happens, if you panic, it'll only make it worse, so just leave all the worrying to us. Ready to go?" 

I felt my pulse quicken as I nodded, as we left the bathroom. I walked between them, keeping my face down. That's all I was worried about: if I could make it out without anyone seeing my face. That seemed to be the key to a clean escape. It was also the hardest thing I had to do; I wanted to look up to see if anyone noticed us, if we looked suspicious, if there were a lot of cameras recording our trek from the bathroom to the gate… I nearly flinched as a family broke between Malik and I. Malik didn't seem to notice, seemingly chatting on his cell phone without a care in the world. 

"Chill," the blond next to me breathed. He took my hand and squeezed it. "You're too tense – we're doing great." 

Just as he said it, I heard the thing I had feared more than cameras – I knew her voice, recognized her shoes… One of the aides from the orphanage. Her hand fell on my shoulder. I could barely breathe, especially when she started talking. "Excuse me, but is that – " 

"Whoa, lady," Malik interrupted, shoving her hand away and stepping in front of me. The blond guy dropped my hand and flanked Malik, further obscuring me from her view. I peeked out from between them, looking at her curiously. Malik continued furiously, "Do I touch your brother?" 

"I…" She looked from the blond to Malik. "You're both his brothers?" she asked suspiciously. I guess it made sense; Jou was paler than Malik and me. Plus, it was a pretty bullshit claim to start with. She'd see through it a mile away. She'd recognize me, haul me back to the orphanage, and press charges… Seto would go to jail, and everyone who helped him. We wouldn't get a second chance. There'd be no one there when I was finally old enough… 

"Of course not," Malik answered, and my heart leapt out of my chest, my stomach churned. Was he a moron? "He's my brother, and this handsome gentleman is his uncle." Malik giggled and I saw an arm go around the blond's waist, and I watched Malik lean in to kiss his neck. They were nuts – where had all their professionalism gone? I felt panic rising inside me, and I tried to keep Malik's advice to heart. It didn't help – I couldn't breathe. 

_"No matter what happens…"_

"Ugh!" the aide said, but I was clutching the back of Malik's shirt, trying to take deep breaths – that's what Miyuki had taught me to do when I got nervous… My stomach turned, and I tried to swallow down the urge to get sick. 

_"…if you panic…"_

The aide was stalking off, calling over her shoulder, "I hope your mother knows that you let him see that." Her departure didn't help. Why didn't it help? My knuckles were turning white; my chest was starting to hurt. My head was swimming. 

_"…it'll only make it worse…"_

Malik was kneeling down in front of me. "Calm down," he said urgently, hugging me close. It was strange; no one but Niisama had ever really hugged me before. "You can't punk out on your brother now, can you?" 

_I'm trying!_ Tears stung my eyes, and he stood, sticking close by my side. All I could do was squeeze his hand as he and the blond practically ran for the front exit, supporting me between them. 

-- 

_(Yami)_  
"Shit!" Ryou hissed. Seto's eyes shot up from the paper, and I instinctively reached forward to cover his hand with my own, as though that would hold him back from whatever he was thinking of doing. 

"Don't," I breathed. I could already see the first inkling of fear in his eyes – barely there, but distinct. In one motion he reached across the table, yanking the phone from Ryou's grasp and holding to his ear. 

"What's happening?" he barked. He paused, and then his face contorted – whatever it was, it was bad news. "Is he… Malik? Malik, answer me!" For a second he didn't move – Ryou was just as still, and I caught Bakura's gaze. He shrugged. Abruptly Seto dropped the phone onto the table and stood, stalking off; I saw him go into the bathroom. I reached forward and took the phone. I could hear it without even holding it up to my head. 

Static. 

"What happened?" I asked Ryou, watching the bathroom door carefully. I needed to make sure he didn't try to leave from there… 

"I'm not sure; he said something about a woman, told me to hold on, and next thing I knew, he was trying to explain something too fast. He told me something was wrong with Mokuba." 

I nodded and stood; Seto hadn't left the bathroom yet, and leaving him to his own devices wasn't sitting right with me. The only good thing about his retreat was that he couldn't make a scene. I made my way to the bathroom, brushing past other patrons. They didn't regard me suspiciously, didn't seem to be talking about Seto's outburst – it didn't looked like it had been a setback. I reached the bathroom door and tested the knob just a little – mostly to give Seto a ten-second warning that I was coming – but it was unlocked. Inside, Seto was leaning in the corner by the sink, holding his hands out in front of himself. He swore and shook them violently. 

He was shaking. 

"Seto…" 

"An aide saw them," he said slowly, staring at his hands. I walked towards him, watching as he shook them again. "Jounouchi said they got rid of her without any trouble, but Mokuba was panicking. They were in the car; I could hear him. Miyuki-san told me he was worried, but I didn't think that he…" I took his shaking hands and pressed them together between mine, stilling his nervous movement. He looked up at me, and our eyes met. He looked more curious than anything else, but I could still see the fear. "Can he die like that? Could he literally be scared to death? And…" his voice strangled slightly, and he had to take a breath. 

"He won't die," I said firmly. "If they've already made it out of the zoo, then half the battle is over." He shook his head, and his hands still trembling. 

"I never meant for it to be this complicated," he said, looking away from me. "I just wanted to grab him in the night and go, consequences be damned. I…" He yanked his hands away and took a shuddering breath. "Forget this, alright? What happens, happens." He looked back up at me, and he looked different; like he was already ready for the worse, as though he had been able to prepare in the short span of time since I'd entered the bathroom. The only thing going against the image was the slight tremor in his shoulders. 

He shoved his hands into his pockets and brushed past me, leaving the bathroom. I had to follow close behind; I half-expected him to run off to the zoo by himself and start hunting Malik and Jounouchi down. Instead, he went to the table. Ryou was holding the phone when we arrived, smiling triumphantly. "He's fine," he said. "Malik just called – they've got him breathing normally again. In twenty minutes they should have him settled in." 

Seto sat down slowly. We had done the unexpected; he'd spent so much time preparing for failure, ready to pay whatever dues he had to. Now he was unprepared to face his victory. I had to gloat a little. 

"See, we did it," I said smugly. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow, and I added for emphasis, "We all did it." Then I remembered that with the success, it also meant the fiasco was almost over. All illusions, bets, and alliances would be off, and Seto would be somewhere else. 

I looked at him sitting there, and suddenly I didn't feel so smug. 

**-end chapter six-**

* * *

**notes**  
um. it's too late at night for me to have thoughts on this. i'm worried about have Seto came off, and I'm worried about whether or not the crime itself was believable. I worried about Mokuba's part too. AndAndAnd... yeah. business as usual, you see. ) 

Thanks again for purkledragon for beta'ing! ::heart:: 


	8. Chapter Seven

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_(Seto)_

What do you say to the people who have given you everything you've ever wanted? I'd never given it much thought – especially considering I'd never been in the situation to do so. But there I was, sitting in that damned bar with Yami on one side, Bakura on the other, for last time. I'd leave tomorrow, and they'd be out of my life forever… Somewhere between their bickering and the fourth shot they ordered me, I realized that I owed them something.

God damn it.

If nothing else, I owed them some gratitude – hadn't I told Jounouchi that I'd save the gratitude for when we succeeded? I said it expecting never to live up to that promise, never expecting them to fulfill their end of the bargain. But it came back to that question: what could I say to them? Did a simple 'thank you' cut it when they had helped me at their own expense, with no other rewards?

No. I didn't know anything that did.

So I stayed silent and took their shots without refusal, as though by letting them get me drunk, I could repay how they had helped. It beat vocalizing the feeling; I knew more actions than words anyway. Besides, the whole ordeal had started with a few shots; it seemed fitting that it should end that way too.

Yami was on my left – he wasn't drinking, just helping Bakura order for me. Every now and then he would look at me, then look away to bait Bakura with some lame insult. Bakura wasn't paying me any more attention other than to make sure I was enjoying my drinks. I wasn't, but he seemed content with my compliance. I hope he didn't expect anything more from me.

Four shots, five…

I almost regretted that I'd leave them. I didn't fight with Mokuba, and I'd gotten used to listening to them argue. It'd be different without having those two making some lame excuse to go out as they climbed into the car. Maybe I owed them more than my gratitude; maybe I owed them a good-bye…

Or maybe that was the sixth shot doing my thinking for me.

-- 

_(Yami)_

"You're a neat guy," Seto said from the backseat, his voice half-mumble. I sighed and cast a sidelong glance at Bakura. They really should have stopped drinking sooner, especially considering that Seto had a flight in a less than twenty-four hours. However, Bakura was enjoying every second of Seto's drunkenness. Then again, he wasn't very sober either. "Which one?" he shot back with a grin.

"Both – you aren't such fuck-ups after all," Seto replied. Only he could somehow make a compliment into an insult. I was going to miss that.

It had been interesting to work with him, certainly different than anyone I had known. Something about him – maybe his bluntness, or his façade of fearlessness – was refreshingly different, but sad. Quite the irony, really: Seto wanted to leave because there had been no one there for him and his brother, and in his quest to get the one thing he needed before he left, he had ended up making himself a place in Domino. Shame it wasn't enough to make him want to stay.

"Even Malik isn't so bad," Seto continued, rambling more to himself than Bakura or me. "Stupidest person I've ever met, but not bad."

"What about Ryou?" Bakura asked. "He's fun when you get him nice and toasted."

"He's nice enough when he's not – speaking of which, what did you give me?"

"Enough," Bakura laughed, and I shook my head, pulling up into the driveway. Despite it all, I couldn't help smiling.

"You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here," I announced. "Everyone out."

Bakura made his way into his house without any trouble – he'd navigated it in a haze more than enough times to be able to do it on his own – but Seto stumbled over the first step up to his apartment, barely catching himself from landing face-first on the steps. He righted himself and promptly sat down. I sighed and turned off the car, stepping out to join him.

Maybe I just wanted an excuse to spend a little more time with him. "Need a hand?" I asked as I sat beside him.

"I'll sit it off," he said. He looked like a pouting child, indignant tone to boot. It was a ridiculous contrast to how serious he was – and it was kind of nice.

I laughed just a little. "It'll be easier to let me help you up."

"The strong help themselves up," he retorted, surprisingly calm. "I refuse to adapt to help."

"Well, that's a good philosophy," I said, standing and holding out my hand to him, "but it's chilly tonight, and if you catch a cold from sitting here, you'll need even more help than just getting up the stairs. Haven't I told you that you need to make sure you stay strong?"

He raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, holding up a hand in compliance; I smiled at the gesture, helping up to his feet and putting an arm around his waist to steady him.

"Who are you gonna baby when I go?" One arm went around my shoulders, the other on the railing, and we started up towards his door.

"I'll figure something out," I said when we finally reached the door. I took him into the apartment, and the first thing he did was extract himself from me, stumbling over to his bed and dropping onto it, groaning slightly when he landed. "Need anything?" I smirked. "I can find you a bucket for the morning…"

"No." He yawned. "Y'think if we'd met differently, things would be different?"

"What things?"

"Just… I don't know – if I hadn't had to kidnap Mokuba or if you'd just been another orphan I'd met…"

I shrugged, leaning against the doorframe; I still had the door open, ready to leave. "So you mean if our entire lives were different, would we be different? That's a given. The real question is if our lives were different, would we have met at all?"

"Probably not. Somehow, I don't think I'd have a use for an annoyance like you in any other situation."

"And that's where we differ in opinion – some things are meant to happen. Even if we had met differently, you'd still be you, and I'd still be me – it's not to say we would have acted any different."

"Whatever; it's not like it matters anyway, it's just a thought to kill time." He yawned again, closing his eyes. I couldn't figure out if he looked weary, or just drunk. "I'm tired."

"So get some sleep; tomorrow's going to be huge for you. I'll…" I'd almost forgotten; 'I'll see you later' wasn't a customary good-bye anymore. "I guess I won't be seeing you again."

"Nope," he said matter-of-factly. That was all he had to say. As much as I never tried to press him to say anything… I was curious to what was going on in his head. Was the whole ordeal as simple to him as 'nope'?

There was only one word to bring it all to an end. "Good-bye."

The door was halfway shut when he called after me, his voice so soft I almost didn't catch it, "I meant it when I said that you're a good guy, even if you are… Well, never mind. So thank you. And good-bye." I closed the door behind me without saying anything, but only because words weren't enough. I had to do one more thing before he left.

I had to find an appropriate parting gift.

**- end chapter seven -**

* * *

**notes**   
Thanks the purkle for the beta job -- proving once again that betas do a damn good job! ::heart:: (and I swear, I'm not just sucking up -- there was actually a time error I had missed in here. ::embarrassment::) 

Anyway... Ahem. One chapter left. Yep, I'm nervous about that. It's pretty funny; in the original-original idea of this, Yami's role wasn't NEARLY as big. In fact, he didn't really have a role at all -- it was originally a Seto/Ryou story. Obviously, the yaoi didn't belong, because it's not here anymore, lol. But it focused a lot less on the planning of the kidnapping, and Seto spent more time sitting around Bakura & Ryou than he did with Yami. Hm. How things happen.


	9. Chapter Eight

**_Ashes doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh!_**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

_(Malik)_

Life gets stranger every day – one of these days, I'm going to wake up to find that Yami thinks he's a king or something. At the moment it wasn't too bad; just another midnight at Bakura's place. Instead of our usual fucking off, though, I was shoving Seto's suitcase into Ryou's backseat, not because he asked, but just because I'd felt like it. I'd been the one to drag him to Bakura's halfway against his will, so I might as well help him carry his shit to the car. Even if it had turned out good for him. Maybe I didn't owe him anything. I just wanted to. 

I wasn't the only one acting weird, though; at that moment, Seto was getting an earful from Bakura, and Ryou was inside getting some coffee – he was the one doing all the driving at oh-dark thirty. Somehow, it was hard to wrap my mind around the idea that someone so come-and-go to our lives had us all upside-down as he left. After all, Ryou was usually an early sleeper, and Bakura wasn't much of a lecturer.

I backed out of the car, stretching my arms above my head. Considering how much time he and Seto had spent together, Yami should have been there, but for some reason he copped out; he stopped by work and gave me a box for Seto, telling me to make sure not to forget it. True my word, I hadn't forgotten; it was on top of the car. I just had to wait for Bakura to get done talking to the guy so I could give it to him…

I got impatient pretty damn quick – wasn't he on some sort of schedule? "Hey, Seto!" I finally called out. He said something to Bakura and walked away, standing in front of me. I never was good with goodbyes – I'd never stuck around for any. Goodbyes were something people did when they cared… Plus, I didn't know what to say. It was hard to come up with a decent good-bye when the guy was standing there right in front of me. "I, uh… Yami told me to give this to you." I held out the box, and he took it, tilting it slowly to one side, then the other, as if gauging it.

"Okay." He looked at me, and shifted almost unperceivable, but it was just enough for me to notice. At least if it was an awkward good-bye, I wasn't alone.

"Don't act suspicious when you get there," I said. "And remember, you're a free man, so live like one."

"Don't let Kentaro-san wreck the garage," he replied. "I implemented enough while I was there; even he should be able to stay afloat."

"Deal. Now get the hell out of here." I slapped him on the shoulder and walked away, heading towards Bakura; I passed Ryou along the way, but we didn't say anything – we had all the time in the world to talk when he got back. As I settled down next to Bakura on the porch, Ryou and Seto got in the car. Seto was still holding Yami's gift, to my surprise; I'd have expected him to throw it in the backseat with his suitcase.

"You think they'll stop him at the airport?" Bakura asked as they drove off. I shrugged.

My forehead scrunched as I thought, and I slowly brought myself to say, "You do realize that we just helped someone, right?"

"It's crossed my mind, but I try not to dwell on it."

The car was already out of sight; in no time at all, they'd be at Otogi's place. Within a couple hours, it would be like Seto had never been there at all.

Just like a good runaway.

"Want to go play a game?" Bakura asked, pushing himself to his feet. I looked up at him. For once, he had a good point; it was better not to dwell on it. What was gone was gone, and it was fun while it lasted. But… the whole ordeal with Seto reminded me of something. I shook my head.

"Not right this second. I've got… something to do." He raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew he was asking a question, even if he hadn't voiced it. I sighed slightly, elaborating as I stood to leave: "I need to go call my sister."

-- 

_(Ryou)_

Seto's brother was out the front door with his backpack slung over one shoulder before I even pulled up to the house; Yuugi was beside him, but they weren't talking. I shouldn't have been so awestruck at seeing a teenager, but I looked at him, and all I could think was that he was the kid everyone had bent over backwards for. It was weird to finally meet him, even if only to help get him out of Japan. He reminded me of Seto, even in the dim outdoor light; he stood the same, and was looking at the car in the same suspicious way I had seen Seto look at all us at one point or another. He even had a similar scowl. I came to a stop and turned to my passenger. 

It looked like Seto wanted to smile.

Mokuba wasted no time; he exchanged a few words with Yuugi, then came barreling down the front walk and into my backseat, buckling in beside Seto's suitcase.

"Got everything?" Seto asked.

"Yes."

I didn't need any other confirmation; I started backing out, nodding towards Yuugi before I turned the car and headed for Tokyo. We were sitting there with a good half-hour's drive ahead of us, my car radio was broken, and I didn't know what to say. It was sort of anticlimactic to sit in silence when I'd slept away half the day just so I'd be awake for this little adventure.

And here I'd thought when I agreed to rent out part of the garage that it'd be an uneventful source of income.

Still, it was a little sad; as much time as I'd spent with Seto building up his alibi, I still felt like I knew next to nothing about him other than he was devoted to the teenager in my backseat. It was a shame that they couldn't stay; if it had all been a little less illegal, they could have lived in Seto's apartment… but even I knew better than to think it could work out that idyllically.

"Where are you going?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the road.

"California," Seto answered. "Miyuki has a brother there, so we're going to stay with him until we find an apartment."

"Ah." I nodded. "What about work?"

"I've been discussing it with him."

I nodded again. The car went silent, so I tried something different. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mokuba," I said, hoping to strike up some conversation with him.

Nothing; he made a small noise of acknowledgement, but didn't say anything else. I had just about giving up on both of them when Mokuba piped up, "Hey, Niisama, what's that?"

I glanced over to see Seto looking down at the box in his lap. He'd had it since we got in, and I hadn't asked who had given it to him, but I remembered seeing Malik with it. "Yeah, what's in there?"

"Only one way to find out," he said, tape snapping as he pulled the top flaps back. He stared inside for a minute.

"Well?" Mokuba urged. I looked over again to see Seto lift out a wooden box. The body of it was covered in vertical panels, and the lid and base were wider than the body, and top was an intricate carved pattern of mindless shapes. In the very front there was a keyhole.

"Oh!" I said, smiling and turning my attention back to the road. "It looks like a puzzle box – Yuugi told me about them once. You have to move around the panels and stuff to find the key. It's supposed to be a lot of fun."

"Who gave it to you?" Mokuba asked.

"Yami," Seto replied simply. I didn't look over, but in my peripheral vision I could see Seto begin looking for the key.

-- 

_(Mokuba)_

I didn't know what to do with myself. Niisama was working on his box, and the driver was being quiet; eventually his banter died off. All I really had left to entertain myself with was either reading road signs or thinking… and I ran out of road signs pretty quickly. 

I looked back up to Niisama; he was pushing a panel down, and it moved. Yami, he had said. Just who the hell was Yami? I hadn't even realized that Niisama knew these people well enough to get gifts… Imagine that – Niisama finally made friends, and he had to leave them to be with me. If it were possible, if he would agree, I would have liked him to stay and enjoy it. But I knew better than to even suggest it.

"Got it," Niisama said under his breath; I watched as he held the key he'd found between his thumb and index finger, holding it up as if examining it. After a second, he used it to unlock the box, lid popping open. About the same time the driver turned off onto another road.

"Almost there," he announced cheerfully. "Ready to go, Mokuba?"

"Sure." I could see the signs directing us towards the airport. Freedom was so close – it had never seemed more real than it did right then. For months I'd told myself that Niisama would succeed, that we'd get out on our own, and everything would be alright, but it'd never really hit home. I had never anticipated actually getting out of the orphanage, and yet there was the airport; if it were a person, it'd probably stick its tongue out and say 'I told you so.'

In the front seat Niisama let out a little snort, maybe an almost-laugh; he folded up a piece of paper and bent up a little so he could slip it into his back pocket. I watched curiously while he put his gift back into its package, smoothing the twisted tape down as best as he could. "Niisama, what – "

"We're here," the driver said, stopping the car. Sure enough, we were in front of the airport. "It's been good."

It was surreal, stepping out of the car – there was chatter all around us, even so late; people were laughing and talking on cell phones, toting suitcases and baby carriers. The air was so… alive, electric, and so much different from the orphanage in a million different ways. It just felt like a fresh start. I was still standing there in shock when Niisama stopped beside me, suitcase in one hand, box under his free arm. "Want me to carry that?" I asked. He nodded and handed me the box.

I was about to start for the doors, but the driver stopped us, saying, "Before you go, we have something for you."

Niisama turned, and the driver leaned out a little, holding out an envelope. Niisama stared at it for a second, and finally seemed to gather his thoughts. "Is that…? I don't need your money."

The driver smirked and explained, "Well, technically, it's yours, and it's only half of it."

"I paid rent for a reason, Ryou," Niisama said slowly. "I was there, I paid my dues."

"I agree," the driver countered. "But it's not just from me…" He laughed softly and added, "Don't make me go home and explain this to Bakura. He insisted."

Niisama raised an eyebrow, but took the envelope, holding it out towards me. "Put it in your backpack, and keep track of it." I nodded, setting the box on the ground and shifting my pack on my shoulders to put the envelope in there, nestled safely between a pair of jeans and my only t-shirt.

"So I guess this is good-bye," the driver said. "Take care of each other."

"Thanks," I said. "Good-bye."

He and Niisama barely nodded at each other, and the driver flashed a warm smile before taking off. I reached down and grabbed the box, following Niisama into the airport. "Hey, what did the note say?" I asked, falling into step just a little behind him. He reached into his pocket, holding the paper out behind him as we reached to ticket counter. Once we stopped I set down the box again and took the note while Niisama talked to the employee at the counter. I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't what I saw.

_Do what you're driven to do, and enjoy the surprises that come with it._

I blinked and looked up at Niisama. He was still talking, and I didn't want to interrupt to ask, so I looked back down at the message. There was no signature, just sloppy handwriting. I shrugged and folded it up again, reaching forward and putting it back in his pocket; he only spared a second's glance back at me, then returned to the woman he was talking to.

"Okay, have a nice flight, boys," the woman said, smiling as she handed Niisama something. Niisama looked down at me and smiled – really smiled, something I had missed since he left the orphanage – and I just knew everything would be alright. I smiled back.

"Thanks," he said. "We will."

**-end-**

* * *

**notes**  
**Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to purkle dragon goddess for being such an awesome beta!!** Especially for this chapter, since I was evil and decided to get it done on four hours of sleep. ;; So sorry! 

Was that a dull ending? bites lip It came down to hopefully tying things up properly, but I'm afraid its boring. TT The one thing I think I regret about this one is that I didn't get to play more with Malik; he was a lot of fun. And there's all sorts of little AU tidbits that are interesting to me – just the fact that so much would be different if Seto wasn't adopted makes me all intellectually excited.

Then my brain shorts out, and I get over it.

Anyway, I thought a puzzle box was a WAY too appropriate (and possibly ironic) gift for Yami to give Seto, but it was hard to describe! Box anatomy sucks. And Yami's note kicked my ass – I was trying my damnedest to come up with something that related to them and how they were acting – and that was what I came up with. Hopefully it doesn't suck. TT

Random note: I love airport atmosphere – its… ahh, airport. So I was trying to capture that, especially for a kid from an orphanage – I imagine that's not a very happy atmosphere.

Anyway, so, thanks for reading! It's been a good time, and I appreciate that people have read it and liked it! Have a good one!


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